China's Xi Jinping calls on nations to unite against 'iron curtains of confrontation'

China to take 'major measures' to deepen the reformnever deviate from the path of peaceful development or seek to subjugate others, President Xi Jinping vowed Friday.

His comments, which mark a key step in his foreign policy, come as Beijing continues to position itself as a leader of the Global South and an international peace broker.

Presenting China as a force for peace, justice and development, Xi also called for better communication and cooperation to counter the “iron curtains of confrontation” amid growing tensions around the world. South China Sea and the deepening of Beijing rivalry with the West led by the United States.

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The “five principles of peaceful coexistence” have been “the foundation” of China's foreign policy since the 1950s, Xi said in a speech at an event in Beijing marking the concept's 70th anniversary.

These principles, which emphasize mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as non-interference in each other's internal affairs, were included for the first time in an agreement between China and India in 1954, known as the “Panchsheel” treaty in India.

These principles have shown “eternal relevance” and have become “universally applicable fundamental norms for international relations,” Xi said.

World affairs should not be “dictated by those with more muscle,” President Xi Jinping said at Friday’s event. Photo: AFP alt=World affairs should not be “dictated by those with more muscle,” President Xi Jinping said at Friday’s event. Photo: AFP>

However, observers have warned that this is more of a lofty ideal than a reality, further mitigated by China's assertiveness and close ties with Russia, despite its invasion of Ukraine.

Xi Jinping also sent a strong message about “China's determination to promote common development around the world” – a day after Beijing announced that the Communist Party's third plenary session, traditionally devoted to setting economic goals, would be held from July 15-18.

“China will only open itself even wider to the outside world. Its door will never close,” Xi said, according to an official transcript. “We plan to take, and in some cases are already taking, major steps to further deepen reform at all levels and expand institutional opening.”

According to China's official Xinhua news agency, the plenum will focus on “deepening reform and advancing China's modernization.”

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“We will build a business environment more firmly based on the market and the rule of law and in line with international standards,” Xi promised.

In a thinly veiled message to the United States and Europe, which have imposed higher tariffs on a range of Chinese goods and sought to cut off access to cutting-edge technology, he said: ” “Small yards with high fences,” decoupling and separating industries and supply chains simply goes against the grain of history. They will only harm the common interests of the international community. »

“Global affairs should be handled through in-depth consultations, not dictated by those with more muscles,” he said. “In the era of economic globalization, what is needed are not divisions but bridges of communication, not iron curtains of confrontation but highways of cooperation.”

Noting the historical similarities between the current situation and the 1950s, when the world was overshadowed by the Cold War and assertions such as “might makes right,” he said the five principles offered “a new path toward the peaceful resolution of historical problems and international disputes.”

“We will never take the well-trodden path of colonial plunder, nor the wrong path of seeking hegemony when we become strong. We will stick to the right path of peaceful development,” Xi said at the event attended by former Myanmar President Thein Sein and former general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh.

A decade ago, Xi Jinping also invited then-president Thein Sein and then-Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari to a similar event in Beijing.

China's relations with India and several other neighbors, including Japan and the Philippines, have deteriorated over the past decade due to intractable border disputes.

Against the backdrop of its all-out rivalry with the United States, Beijing also faces intense scrutiny and resistance to Xi Jinping's assertive “great power diplomacy,” which aims to help China “occupy the front of the world stage” and to become a world power of “moral appeal”.

Last year, China's top envoy to France, Lu Shaye caused an uproar across Europe when he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states, prompting Beijing to clarify that the ambassador's remarks were “an expression of personal views.”

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched an attack on Beijing at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, questioning China's claim to “neutrality” and accusing it of becoming “an instrument in the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Poutine”.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior policy specialist at the Institute for China-American Studies in Washington, said Beijing was right in that the five principles had become part of customary international law and were “increasingly relevant” with the rise of the Global South, but that the image was far from ideal.

“The message embodied in the five principles is certainly alive and well; it has not lost its appeal. The political optics associated with the five principles have, however, faded, given the less-than-stellar adherence to the message of peaceful coexistence by its main messengers, China, in its neighborhood,” he said.

In his speech on Friday, Xi praised China's “constructive role” on a long list of international flashpoints, including Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Korean Peninsula, Iran, Myanmar and Afghanistan.

“Among the world's major countries, China has the best peace and security record. It explored a distinctively Chinese approach to solving burning problems… Every strengthening of China's power is an increase in the prospects for world peace,” he said.

Xi also presented his flagship initiative of “building a community with a shared future” as an upgraded version of the five principles, calling on the United Nations and developing countries to step up efforts to shape a new international order in the face of “new developments and challenges.” “.

“At a new historical starting point, countries in the South should be more open and inclusive, and unite to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for humanity,” he said.

Observers say Beijing's repeated emphasis on non-intervention and respect for sovereignty is in part an attempt to fend off criticism of its authoritarian approach to issues it considers internal affairs, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Yun Sun, co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said that despite growing criticism, China still believed it was following the five principles.

“In fact, China could see its various global initiatives on security, development and civilization all following the mantra of the five principles. These principles could apply regardless of China's power status and there is a certain internal logic to the principles that underpin them,” she said.

“These principles have been more of an ideal than an operational framework, so China can still call them a desired end and a work in progress. »

This article was originally published in the The South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaperthe most authoritative voice in reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please visit SCMP application or visit the SCMP Facebook And Twitter pages. Copyright 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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